


Cold Sunlight is Still Sunlight

by Tom_Riddles_Diary



Series: My Canon Verse Solangelo [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Also Nico slipping into Italian cause I need that, Aswell as obvious Reyna/Nico bromance, Basically Will is thinking about Nico alot, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Fluff, I got the italian from google translate please dont kill me if its wrong, It's Will's Pov, Kissing, M/M, Oooh and Percy/Nico bromance, Then there is awesomeness that is Rachel Elizabeth Dare, also Willl/Rachel supper bro's cause its awesome, mentions of previous angst?, solangelo, they are like 17 btw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-06
Updated: 2015-06-06
Packaged: 2018-04-03 03:42:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4085347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tom_Riddles_Diary/pseuds/Tom_Riddles_Diary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He wouldn’t say Nico was everything to him because he had his friends, his mum, his little sister. He had Camp and the life he made for himself. He had his school and his life outside of all the half-blood stuff, and he would be stupid to pin all his happiness on someone who could barely see goodness in himself let alone in the world around him. But…If Nico stopped caring, if Nico stopped being... Well, Will really had trouble seeing the rest of it as worth it.<br/>What made it worse was that Will knew Nico could love him. He felt awful for wanting to keep Nico to himself but he couldn’t help it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cold Sunlight is Still Sunlight

“That should be ok, I’m sure you’ll be back to you skull cracking ways in no time!”

The girl from the Ares cabin gave him a withering look and Will thought maybe he shouldn’t have given her ideas. He quite liked his head, but it got away from him sometimes. He stood up with a flourish and checked the clock.

“Well, there’s about half an hour before dinner so yeah I guess have a great evening and stuff”

But she had already stormed out of the infirmary.

It’s not as if he tried to be annoying, most people found his sunny disposition endearing, and well, he could be angry when he needed to be, and obviously being a healer he had to be serious, but he didn’t understand why people though making jokes whilst stitching up someone’s cranium was considered _insensitive._

“Oi Solace, you done daydreaming?”

He turned around to find Lou Ellen poking her messy head through the door.

“Yeah, just be a minute” He went over to the cupboard to deposit his crap when he noticed he had a bit of blood on his shirt.

“Oh come on!”

“What?”

“Just got stuff on my shirt, you go down to the pavilion without me, I need to change”

After Lou had left he studied himself in the mirror hanging over the sink. He didn’t look in too bad shape today. There’d been a monster raid just outside camp so he’d had to patch up a few people. But he supposed, that was what he was there for.

He widened his eyes and raised his eyebrows, pushing up his sun-bleached hair as he did so and let out a sigh. The sun hadn’t been out much today and everything was slightly harder to do when there was no sun and ever since Apollo went AWOL, his whole cabin had been a little bit more tired. They were getting used to it, he was going to be missing for a lot more years than 3 if he was punished by Zeus. He thought of Calypso, she seemed like such a nice person, and she had been sentenced to eternity. Even though he only really knew them through Percy and Nico, Leo and Calypso looked happy, so he supposed _something_ had come out of being stuck on Ogea, or where ever it had been.

It’s not as if they had completely relied on Apollo because they didn’t. That would be stupid. It was just the fact that everything was a bit easier to do when you had, he didn’t know what to call it, _celestial reassurance?_ He snorted, still peering into the mirror, evaluating his blue eyes and his tanned skin.

He knew that people respected him, needed him, and he didn’t ask for much. He wasn’t asking to be on the front lines of everything, and he was kind of a lousy archer in all honesty. He was proud of being head councillor and he didn’t want to change the way people relied on him but...helping Nico realise at least some of his self-value, although _that_ hadn’t been easy, also made him question that if he wasn’t so talented a healer, would people really care?

He shook himself. That was stupid, of course they would. That’s like saying if Nico wasn’t a son of Hades, people wouldn’t give him a second thought, which is stupid ‘cause they should. It’s just that he never _lets_ anybody. It hasn’t been easy, getting him to open up to someone and he can’t take all the credit. Not that anybody but Nico should take the credit ‘cause it’s only him who can help himself. He smiled to himself, remembering the other day when Jason had fallen asleep in the dining pavilion and Nico had stolen his glasses and put them on. Jason had woken up all disoriented and Piper told him that he didn’t need glasses and his name was Jeremiah. He then proceeded to fall off the bench. Nico had really laughed then. He had to hold his stomach and his eyes had all crinkled, one of his hands had covered his face, his fingers displacing the aforementioned glasses, trying to speak and just getting half the words out.

Nico was starting to get back his old colour, well, he wouldn’t go _full on_ Italian, ‘cause all the underworld-y stuff had bleached him a little bit, but at least he didn’t look quite so skeletal anymore. Will shuddered. It literally hurt him to think of how lonely and  _sad_ he used to be. He thought back to when Nico had looked almost blue and transparent, and he thanked every God under the sun that he had come to his senses and not travelled again. His arms, _swollen and Frankenstein-esc_ , according to Reyna anyway, had looked seriously painful. But the stupid sod probably hadn’t noticed them. No, he was too busy being a self-sacrificing idiot! Will knew he couldn’t really blame Nico for any of it. Saying that he’d had a rough time would have been understatement of the century. He tried to place those sunken, broken eyes on the small and, to be frank, annoying boy that had shown up a little after Will’s 10th Birthday. He remembered helping Michael checkup him, Percy and Thalia. He’d been so open towards everything and delighted when Will had laughed about this stupid joke about Apollo being on the wrong end of a cow.

Will shut his eyes and took a shuddering breath in. He couldn’t express how it made him feel that Nico was still alive. He was still there and he would still be there tomorrow, and the day after.  So many people hadn’t made it. Two consecutive battles on a group full of teenagers was bound to have consequences. He really missed Michael and Lee, but he couldn’t change it. He couldn’t fix that. So he remembered them and thanked the gods he didn’t have to _remember_ anyone else.

Nico had grown a bit in the 3 years since the war. He wasn’t quite as tall as Will, and Will was adamant to keep it that way, but, as Nico had pointed out, Will was a year older than Nico so he would stop growing first.

He smiled and hugged his chest as he remembered about 6 months ago, Leo had been dragged into the infirmary by a grinning Nico who was repeatedly shouting: “Will, Will, William look. I am no longer the smallest look that’s Hazel, Piper _and_ Leo now!” He remembered Leo’s outraged expression that had softened slightly when Nico turned away, and that moment he realised that no matter how trivial it was, a lot more people in camp liked to see Nico’s happiness than Nico was willing to admit.

Of course he had his bad days, everyone did. Just not everyone was the son of the God of the underworld. That didn’t mean he had tantrums, it was nothing supernatural where he made skeletons come to chop you up in your sleep when you didn’t put enough sugar in his coffee, it was more intense but only in Nico’s head. Sometimes he’d just look bored but then his hand would clench. He’d twist his ring and not meet your eye. Sometimes he just wouldn’t leave his cabin. He’d sit in the middle of the floor and just stare at nothing. Will didn’t always know how to help him, and when Nico had nightmares you could tell the next morning. He would snap and have bags under his eyes, he’d push around the food on his plate and glare. He could be downright mean when he wanted to be. Will hated feeling useless ‘cause it was his job to help people. But with the nightmare’s his first instinct was to get Hazel or Reyna but considering they lived at Camp Jupiter….they weren’t always an option. Mornings when Nico came out of his cabin with wide eyes and bitten lips, Will would often defer to Percy. Not all the time, but they just had that bit of perspective that Will lacked.

Will didn’t entirely know what had happened on the journey back to America between Nico and Reyna. Whatever it was, he always seemed at ease around her. They’re so in tune when they’re together. Will’s really glad Nico had her, he hinted that Reyna saved his life several times and for that Will trusted her completely.  

Percy on the other hand, was a bit of an idiot, but he wasn’t stupid. They had a bond that was difficult to understand. Nico was over Percy, _he was glad to say_ , but Percy had still _been_ there the whole time. Percy had known Bianca better than anyone else at camp; Percy was the first one to figure out Nico’s godly parent; Percy who had known him longer than the rest of them; Percy hadn’t given up on him despite what Nico had thought. They had been through more together than people realise and no matter how close Reyna and Nico are, Percy was close in a different way. Percy had been through Tartarus, and had Nightmares the same as Nico.

Percy may be a lousy brother in some respects, but he was wildly protective of people he cared about, and that’s what Nico needed, once all that confusion on Nico’s part had been dealt with. Once they’d forgiven each other and realised they were the only two who could keep Bianca alive, that’s exactly what Percy could be. An older brother. Probably to him _and_ Hazel. The dude just had that air of most brothers; you either want to protect them with your life or throw them to the wolves yourself. Depended on the day.

He completely wasn’t jealous, because after the battle with Gaea, Nico turned away from Percy and hurried over to him. Even though he was small and cracked and slightly see through, he finally turned away from Percy Jackson and thought about himself for once.

Besides.

Will _really_ didn’t want to be seen as Nico’s older brother.

It really made Will happy when he thought about Nico’s family. Because that’s what they all were, hades, their own families were so messed up, they had to make do with what they had. He saw how Reyna would smile and give him a kiss on the cheek before getting him in a headlock and threatening him with colourful shirts, he saw how Annabeth would wink at Nico and throw him an extra M’n’M. He saw how Jason would laugh when Nico thwacked him on the head and pretend to be angry but he wasn’t really, how Piper would fuss over how long his hair was getting. Will didn’t see Hazel much because she lived at Camp Jupiter, but Nico would iris message her and get this smile that Will really loved.

Most of all he loved it when Nico looked at him. Even when he was having a bad day, just the reassurance that Nico needed him made his head spin. Just like the first time Nico really said thank you.

It was just after Nico had been deemed opaque enough to venture back into camp:

_His arms had been tended too and Will was determined to have a word with Reyna about how to stitch someone up properly. When he turned back around to his surprise the son of Hades was still sat there. He was picking at a thread on these oversized trousers that had been forced upon him because seriously, those skinny jeans he poofed up in looked more dead than Jules-Albert._

_“Hey Will?” Nico had said looking up, Will had blinked,_

_“Uhm yeah?” Great job there, he’d been yapping on non-stop for 3 days and now he can’t talk?_

_Nico looked back down again, his newly washed hair falling over his sunken face._

_“Why did you help me? Is it because you’re a healer or that you felt bad for me or….I don’t know”_

_Will stared at him, incredulous_

_“Well of course I helped you ‘cause I’m a healer numskull! I’d be tad useless if I didn’t, but why should that matter? But-that’s not a-I would’ve helped you anyway, what makes you different from- from any other half-blood here, huh? Besides, it was a miracle you listened to me in the first place. Now, you’re gonna get up, you are gonna eat what I told you to in the pavilion and you are gonna come back and keep me company for an hour.”_

_Nico’s eyes had widened at that, he looked so tired; “Y-You want me to come back?? Even after I’m healed?”_

_Will sat down next to him on the bed and looked at the boy beside him,_

_“Well here’s the thing funny bones, I don’t think you’re quite..healed yet. It’s-you’re gonna take time. So, um sorry about that but it looks like you’re stuck with me. I’m invested in your well being now so yeah, tough.” Nico had looked round at him, and something tightened inside him when he saw the guarded disbelief and the overbearing scepticism in his eyes. The inability to believe that someone might want to talk to him after he’s finished whatever he was needed for._

_“You don't owe me anything”_

_Will’s hand tightened on the covers below him_

_“That’s not the point. You-You’re my friend, and I’m going to help you either way” He didn’t look at Nico when he said that, instead becoming interested in the graduation of grey into white on the floor. Why make a hospital floor grey and white? That’s stupid, it isn’t even a pattern. At least th-_

_“Thank you, for…for saying that”_

_Will looked at Nico and smiled, then hurriedly stood up and brushed invisible dust off his jeans. “Well of you go, go eat your rice, the amount I told you, you’d better eat it-I’ll know if you don’t, and I promise I’ll still be here when you’re done.” He may have imagined the quick quirk of Nico’s lips, but he promised to himself, that he would do as much as it takes to put a smile on that boy’s face and keep it there._

He groaned and slumped against the mirror. His fingers fiddling with the tap, his ADHD brain annoyed at him for being stationary for so long. He’s so infatuated it _hurt_. He loved being Nico’s friend and it was more than he could’ve hoped for a few years ago, but there was that twinge of longing that would stir in him when Nico raised his eyebrow and smirked, or bit his lip whilst he was concentrating. He would never do anything on this, because he just wasn’t like that. He would never want to push it, or push Nico because that really _really_ wouldn’t’ve been cool. He knew Nico’s feelings for him were different from his feelings for the other’s ‘cause he and Nico were _just friends_. Those words were a curse and a blessing. Friends because they bumped into each other, friends because Nico needed help and Will was willing to give it. Not because they’d be forced together on a one way trip by the immortal ass-cracks they had to call Gods.

He wouldn’t say Nico was everything to him because he had his friends, his mum, his little sister. He had Camp and the life he made for himself. He had his school and his life outside of all the half-blood stuff, and he would be stupid to pin all his happiness on someone who could barely see goodness in himself let alone in the world around him. But…If Nico stopped caring, if Nico stopped _being_... Well, Will really had trouble seeing the rest of it as worth it.

What made it worse was that Will knew Nico _could_ love him. He felt awful for wanting to keep Nico to himself but he couldn’t help it.

He braced himself on this sink, staring into his own blue eyes again.

He blinked.

They spoke about that sort of stuff sometimes. It was difficult for Nico, considering where he was from, and Will didn’t think he really spoke about it with anyone else and that made Will happier than it should’ve. Nico was becoming more accepting of it and himself. He didn’t beat himself up when his eyes strayed too long when a boy was taking his shirt off, or returning that smile of the cute guy behind the counter when they had met up over Christmas. In return Will would tell him about when he first tried to kiss his friend when he was about 9, but had forgotten that his friend had hay fever....and they were sitting on grass. He would tell Nico about how he had thought about Charlie from the Hephaestus cabin, how he never really liked Silena when he was younger and hadn’t really known why; About when Percy came back without him he didn’t really feel like sleeping for a while.

He heard the dinner gong ringing and jumped. Oh the Gods, he’d just spent half an hour being completely and utterly in lost with thoughts of Nico di-friggin-Angelo. And he still had to change his shirt. Great.

* * *

He was late, of course. He walked to the fire to give the customary: _Here, have some of my spaghetti, thanks for not blowing me up in my sleep,_ and sat down heavily at the table. He wasn’t particularly feeling hungry today, but it would’ve made him feel worse to not eat. He didn’t understand what was up with him. He’d known he was completely in love with the son of Hades for about 3 months now. It wasn’t a new feeling. He was used to it, he just enjoyed Nico’s company and went on with his life. It was a good life overall. Maybe he was just having an off day. He looked up and saw Nico sitting with Jason and Percy. Chiron had thought it stupid to have three separate tables for 2 half-bloods, one that showed up every other week and an occasional Cyclops, so he just named it the “Big Three” table and had done with it.

He felt someone’s eyes on him and turned around to see Piper staring at him, he could feel himself blushing and looked down. Was he that obvious? He didn’t stare at Nico as much as he used to, because he wasn’t an enigma anymore. He wasn’t an unknown that refused to meet anyone’s eye. He was just Nico. He was just… Will sighed. He was just _everything._

He glanced up again and Nico caught his eye and smiled.

His stomach flipped over, seriously, he didn’t realise that camp did _jumping pasta_ now. He smiled back and Nico’s attention returned to his food, with a small smile. Will thought he might’ve been blushing but it was difficult to tell.

Did Will do that? He hoped, but it wasn’t difficult to make Nico embarrassed, no matter how much he protested. It was quite amusing, he could summon entire armies of the dead and vanish into thin air, but if you paid him a simple compliment or even looked at him at the right time, he was off. He acted confidant because he was scared of being seen as weak. This being so, any affection shown for him would be brushed off with a laugh and a roll of his eyes, but if you looked closely it was plain that he just wasn’t used to it.

He could feel Piper’s eyes on him again and resisted the urge to throw pasta at the Aphrodite table. He considered just cursing them with some rhyming couplets, when a fork whacked him on the nose.

“wha-ow!” He rubbed his face and looked around at his siblings. Kayla, just sat there. Her eyes and mouth open;

“I’m so sorry I- well I didn’t I-uh-I was just seeing how far it would bend back and it just…..” She trailed off into laughter.“Will you should’ve seen your face!”

He rolled his eyes and handed back her fork.

It was just one of those days.

 

* * *

 

“Jinks!”

“Name of Hades Will, think you were 8, not nearly 18” Will just stuck out his tongue.

They were at the campfire and he was sitting with Nico on one side and Rachel on the other. He and Rachel had been playing that word association game that Nico was rubbish at, so he was being tetchy.  Will turned back to Rachel who was glaring at him with her mouth firmly shut.

“It is like sitting next to the idiots….dumb and dumber” Nico carried on, but the corner of his mouth betrayed the fact that he wasn’t actually annoyed at them. Will just laughed as Rachel mumbled, not allowed to talk. She should’ve know better than playing a word game with a son of Apollo.

“You made a reference from _this century_!” Will gasped, clasping his hands over his heart, continuing like a proud mother; “You finally make sense!”

Nico shouldered him, creating a sort of domino effect and Rachel fell on the floor, the spell broke.

“- _stick it right where the sun don’t shine mis_ -oh! You can hear me now”

“Yeah I can hear you, thanks very much, I’d appreciate it if you stayed at a non-bein’-able-to-stick-stuff-in-me-distance” Nico just carried on laughing and Will shoved him back.

“Not one for being poked then are you? Rather be the Poker than the Pokee?” Rachel sniggered and Will went bright red. His brain was trying to catch up with his mouth and think of something equally as mortifying to throw at her, when Chiron stood up.

Will was glad he wasn’t leading. An Apollo camper always leads the songs and Will loved doing it, but he really didn’t feel in the mood to forcefully correct hermes campers.

_“Well that is where you’ll find me, down by the, down by the Aegean”_ Will watched Nico out of the corner of his eye. Nico didn’t always join in but he apparently knew this one and was singing along quietly.

_“When my helmet’s cracked and my swords gone blunt-”_ He had quite a nice voice, it was quite breathy and he obviously didn’t use it much. Will wished he would. It was secretly one of his ambitions to make Nico watch Moulin Rouge and sing-along to the Elephant Medley, and the boys soft singing was just proving his ability to be Nicole Kidman. Even his name fits.

_“When the god’s throw out my dice”_

Will had stopped singing by now, he hadn’t been too loud tonight so no one really noticed except Nico, who turned to look at him but kept singing. His head was tilted and his eyebrows raised.

His accent became a bit more prominent when he sang, the same as when he was angry. It was amusing and adorable, although Will would never admit out loud to the second one, listening to him say the word Aegean. It came out as more Eyegan. Nico’s accent, for some reason, seemed to grow slightly more noticeable, the longer he stayed. Will then realised that maybe it had always been that present, people just hadn’t listened. Or maybe it was his confidence, he was letting some of the fear about being different go, starting with letting himself remember his culture. Will was glad of this, he would’ve hated Nico to become entirely…. _Americanized?_ Despite the reasons it was adorable when he messed up tenses or something, cause then he’d blink and whack in himself on the head or just click his tongue impatiently.

_“That’s when I’ll take the old, one way trip, I’ll go down by the Aegean.”_ The song finished. There was lot laughing and held notes and Will thought someone threw something, but at the moment he didn’t really care. The fire was casting light over their faces and it was so warm. Nico let out a huff of laughter at their prolonged eye contact but Will’s eyes narrowed, as if daring him to look away. Nico bit his lip and smiled. He reckoned that he would have been completely content to just stay there forever but a voice shouted; “Nico!”

The moment broke and they turned back to the real world. Jason and Leo were gesturing wildly in their direction. Will had no idea what they were doing but when he turned the boy next to him he was glaring at them with his scary eyes.

“Be right back” He said, getting up and stalking over to the other half-bloods who seemed to have realised their mistake and looked to be back peddling with serious speed.

It was quite funny when Nico got annoyed at people. Not when he got properly upset, just mildly irritated. His lips would disappear and he would flare his nostrils. He had this walk that was a sort of strut that simultaneously radiated I’m cute but I’ll mess you up. Will noticed that Nico’s T-shirt was tucked in at the back and smiled to himself. Will remembered-

“William hello?? Yeah, I have literally been here the whole time, yep you in? Hello?” He blinked and started. Of course it was Rachel. He turned to look at her.

They’d become quite good friends over the past year. The original bond had probably been because of Apollo, Will didn’t really care, Rachel was a good friend. Even is she was a little bit older than him. It’s funny how age wasn’t really taken into account much at camp. Or maybe it was Will that didn’t notice it. Perhaps because his best friend was _technically_ 87.

“Seriously what is _with_ you today.” Her eyes flicked over to where Will had been staring and landed on Nico, a grin spread quite slowly over her freckly face and Will became quite worried for his health. She then clutched her forehead like she did as she was about to have a vision and gasped. Will looked around, but the amount of campers still sitting by the fire had dwindled and no one seemed to have noticed.

“Rach! What is it are you ok?” He pulled her hand away from her head, this wasn’t the first time this had happened in front of Will. He prided himself on having caught her successfully 3 times in a row, well, until the incident with the fish. But Will still maintained that it hadn’t been his fault. Not _entirely_. He grabbed her shoulders but she didn’t seem to be falling anywhere.

“Ooooh I’m getting a vision _ooooh_ ” Will released her and batted the top of her head.

“You massive faker!” He laughed but she continued being fartsy;

“Yes-yesss” She drew out the e’s in an uncanny impression of Professor Trelawny from Harry Potter, “I foresee that youuu….and the son of hades, Oooohhhhh what are the words- the words” Her voice continued to move an impressive pitch range until she cracked her eyes open;

“get it ownnnn” she sang in a low voice, waggling her eyebrows suggestively, before starting to laugh uncontrollably.

Will rolled his eyes. This wasn’t the first time she’d said stuff like this, normally they’d laugh about it and make it a running joke for a few days but not today. He’d reminded himself too many times that it was a crap day and her harmless joke just stung a bit more than normal. She seemed to realise she’d struck a nerve and stopped laughing.

He didn’t spend his _entire_ time obsessing over him because he needed to actually do things and function. To tell you the truth a lot of the time he didn’t even notice it. He put his head in his hands, elbows on his knees. He peered through his fingers to where Nico was still sitting talking to Leo and Jason. He wasn’t wearing a jacket and the amount of campers still around the fire meant it wasn’t incredibly tall at the moment, so he was rubbing his arm slightly. His feet were crossed at the ankle as he pulled his legs closer in, attempting to keep warm. Will often joked that Nico was like a cat, to which Nico had just replied with a hiss and curled up in a ball. Nico would sometimes yell at him until he came closer because apparently Will was always warm. He never _ever_ said no to a hug from Nico.

He thought back to the time where Nico had fallen asleep in Reyna’s Preator hoodie with his head on Will’s shoulder and their legs hooked together.

_Nico was still quite a bit smaller than Reyna so his hands were completely submerged in the sleeves. Will had moved his arm up slightly and Nico’s head had fallen onto his chest, his arm snaking round Will’s torso. He’d looked so peaceful and well, really really adorable. Will had got this warm feeling in his chest and his stomach flipped over. That was really the first time he noticed how attractive Nico was. His hand had trailer up Nico’s side, dotting small patterns into the boy’s hip. But then there had been a massive crash from the Hermes cabin and Nico had jumped and woken up, detangling himself from Will and standing up, grabbing for his sword before he was fully awake. Once he’d regained his bearings, he turned to Will and said hurriedly;_

_“I uh I am really sorry for falling asleep on you, I promise I won’t do it again!”  And before Will could say anything he’d run off. Leaving Will quite dejected and hurt that Nico didn’t feel he could trust Will enough to let his guard down like that._

“Hey, you’re supposed to be Mr Sunshine! Come on you’re like the only one who laughs at my jokes” He looked round at Rachel, again being dragged out of thoughts by the Oracle. Some of what he was feeling must’ve shown on his face cause she threw an arm around his shoulders.

“Sorry If that was in bad taste-” Will cut her off,

“No no it’s fine. Lot’s of people don’t think when they speak to me, it’s not like I really matter”

She grabbed his chin and brought his face up to look into her eyes;

“Hey, what brought this on Solace?”

“Seriously I’m fine, it’s not as if we’re really here for more than healing people and singing.” He pulled out of her embrace and looked at the fire; “I’m just a background half-blood”

“Okay, for one thing that is the most stupidest thing I’ve ever heard, bearing in mind the first demigod I met was Percy. And another, you’re awesome so shut up and thirdly, if this is about Nico, you’re not just in the background to him. That much I do know, and I’m the forever alone, totally rocking the asexual, virgin oracle of Delphi.”

“You’re such a loser seriously I’m okay, just….being an idiot as usual.” She looked like she wanted to say something else but then Nico came back.

“Sorry, they were being idiots”

“Aren’t they always?” Nico rolled his eyes and huffed out a laugh,

“True”

* * *

About an hour later Will found himself sitting in the middle  of the Hades Cabin, not really remembering why he’d gone in. Nico had been acting a bit distant lately, but tonight he’d seemed fine, so Will was making the most of it really.

“Really? You’ve never kissed anyone?”

Nico looked at him with narrowed eyes; “Well _scusi_ , but there are not many dating opportunities in the underworld. But for your information I have kissed someone, but it wasn’t particularly good and it meant nothing, so for all intents and purpose, no I haven’t. ”

Will’s mouth had dropped open, he supposed that it was always a possibility, he was 17 now, it was bound to have happened sometime;

“Who’s that? You’ve never told me! I’m offended Death boy.”

“Well, I don’t really remember his name. But…You know during the year after the war, I would still disappear sometimes?” Nico rubbed the back of his neck.

Will nodded, he hadn’t really enjoyed Nico’s escapades because they were all worried what shape he’d be in _if_ or _when_ he came back.

“Anyway, well I accidentally ended up in this campsite and there was a- _esploratore?_ \- what do you call them? Scouts? I think so and well, one of them caught me when they were playing something with a flag and thought I was…oh I don’t know I think he was just lonely so I sorta just….let him kiss me I guess.”

Will pursed his lips as he attempted to keep evidence of the slight jealousy battle inside his head with _scouty-mc-kissyson._

“I mean, I’m not exactly the most self-accepting person around here. I do not know why I let him, I can barely even _say_ what I am-“

“ _What_ you are?” Cut in Will, “You’re a person Nico. A very small and annoying one but a person nevertheless” He glared at Will and carried on;

“I was told, from an early age, that I had to find a girl and settle down, that’s how it was. Being what- _alright then, who_ , I am, back then, it was-it was illegal to even _consider_ liking…” he gestured non-committally.

“Boys?” Will asked, Nico looked down at his hands in his lap.

“Yeah, boys” He almost whispered. Will couldn’t stand their proximity. It had already been a long day and he didn’t really feel like hearing about Nico kissing other people because he wanted Nico to kiss _him_. He couldn’t do that, no matter how he felt, he just couldn’t mess it up. He couldn’t risk it he couldn’t ri-

“I can show you properly if you want” Why, _why_ did he just say that?? He could pass it off as a joke. He needed to laugh, or elbow him or he needed Nico to move or something. Hell, just getting the other boy to even _blink_ would be a start. Nico was staring at him, mouth open.

“You want to kiss me?” he raised his eyebrows. Oh Apollo’s buttcrack, he’d had his perfect world and his best friend and because he couldn’t keep his bloody mouth shut it was all going to be for nothing.

“Well….I mean, I’ve had more experience than you. I could just…help? I suppose, so that when you, well, when you find someone you wanna kiss and stuff you won’t be so…..clueless.” Will was currently realising that he could have made a better actor than healer. Maybe it was an Apollo thing, but he didn’t seem to be flailing around. At least on the outside.

Nico’s eyes seemed to darken at that, his face became more neutral and the next words he said were quite steady, almost bitter;

“So you want to help out a friend. That’s it?” He scoffed, his eyes tracked Will’s face, he seemed to be looking for something. All Will wanted to say was; _“No you great idiot of a half-blood I want to kiss you because you are gorgeous and because I can’t look at anyone else and because I just do”_

He looked back at Nico and he couldn’t help it. He’s intoxicating, his eyes are so dark they’re almost black and some people say that’s creepy but Will didn’t understand that. They were infinitely deep and Will wanted to get lost in them.

Will leaned forward and kissed him. Just kissed him. Once. Chastely.

Nico’s eyes widened and his breath hitched. His pupils were dilated and Will swallowed.

Will leaned in again and kissed him a second time, pulling back to give the other boy room to run away or slap him or speak. He couldn’t stay away for long though and he kissed him again and again, sighing and getting longer and more frequent, both their eyes fluttering shut.

He pulled back sharply. He’d only said once, just so Nico knew what it felt like, he’d been stupid, stupid. His eyes were stinging and his breathing was heavy and he was so in love with Nico Di Angelo.

“Will?”

Will’s eyes traced over his face, making sure he had every detail memorised. From the curve in his nose to his prominent cheekbones. How his hair fell in a slant across his face, but with always one piece going the wrong way. Nico called it his queer hair which had made Will laugh. There was a small scar just under his left eye. His ears stuck out a bit and in each one there was a small silver stud. Everyone had been a bit confused when Nico had declared that he wanted his ears pierced, but he confessed to Will in private that he found a pair of Bianca’s earrings and he’d always felt like trying it anyway.

He watched as Nico bit his lip and black eyes flicked between blue.

“Nico” He replied, his voice coming out like a grunt compared to the others boys breathless whisper. His brain was just screaming at him to lean back in. To kiss him more slowly, more gradually. He wanted to _so badly_ , but it was up to Nico. He was the one who needed to initiate it. Will needed the reassurance that this was okay.

He dared to believe that Nico wanted him back when Nico’s hand found its way to his cheek.

“Why did you do that?” he asked quietly, he looked so unguarded, for once, and genuinely confused.

What could he say?

“Because…” Will took a deep breath in his words just tumbled out of his mouth.

“I wanted to and because you have nice eyes and because I love it when you laugh and even when-when you’re throwing things at me ‘cause I was an idiot I still want you”

Nico’s eyes had grown if possible even wider and his breathing which had slowed after they had stopped kissing picked up again.

“I did it because I love it when you laugh and because you get so excited by the weirdest things. I-I did it because you always know what to say when something goes wrong, and because you make my day and because you so clearly shadow travelled last week to get that Mcdonalds, but you brought me more than the rest and stole half of my fries and I did it because I lov- I uh- well-I did it because you’re my best friend.”

Will’s hand had found Nico’s during his waffle and linked their fingers. Nico hadn’t pulled out of it. The hand on his cheek had fallen in between them and was clutching at Will’s t-shirt. Will looked away from Nico’s face, instead focusing on a loose thread on the boy’s black jeans and picking at it with his free hand

“I did it because people have been awful to you and you’ve had the worst time of it but you still get up in the morning. I did it because you’re covered in scars but I am too so it’s ok. I did it because I know you’ve been hurt in the past and I know you don’t trust easy but you-but I trusted you that day with Octavian and you trusted me when I told you to stay and I just- I just know that you’re the best thing that’s happened to me.”

His hand abandoned its task of removing the loose thread in favour of moving a section of hair out of Nico’s eyes, his hand lingering at the side of his face. Nico moved his head and nuzzled the inside of his hand and if Will hadn’t been so scared that this was the last time he would ever be this close to Nico he might have laughed and called him adorable.

Nico sighed against his palm and finally spoke,

“I do trust you, I-well I’m not really very good at this. I-you’re my best friend and I am so scared of losing you cause I lose everyone I love, they all leave me.”

“No one has left you by choice Nico.”

Nico’s head snapped round to face his own, his eyes over bright. Will could tell he was trying to be his usual self, brush it off with a narrowing of his eyes and a snarky comment. He could see the seriousness reflected from his own eyes in the others.

This wasn’t how they spoke, Will would say something stupid and Nico would call him an idiot. They’re supposed to make fun of each other and have meaningful conversations with the lights off because it’s scary how much of a commitment looking into someone’s face can be.

“Think about it Neeks, when have I ever lied to you? When have I ever hurt you?”

He took a deep breath in;

_“I love you”_

Nico’s breathing was bordering on hysterics and Will was so scared that he’d said too much, but he couldn’t stop himself.

“I-I can’t say it back but I- I really” The hand that had been clutching at his shirt was running up and down Will’s chest and round his neck.

Will was so aware of every point that they were touching. Will was cross-legged with one of his legs sticking out. Nico’s knees were bent over it and Will’s hand was tracing down his shins. Will didn’t know if this was nervous energy or something else.

Nico took a deep breath and leaned his head against Will’s forehead, his hand stilling on the son of Apollo’s cheek.

“It’s ok, you don’t have to say anything back, I’m sorry if I put this on you”

By this point he didn’t doubt that Nico had feelings for him, but it was a lot to expect of someone and he’d hate to push him but _he still hadn’t leaned away._

“No-no you didn’t, it’s just not many people have said that to me _voglio dire di nuovo_ ” He let out a huff of frustration at his mind moving before his mouth,

“No,  I want so badly to say it back because I love you too, I just-” Nico’s head jerked backwards his eyes wide. They both just breathed for a moment.

They waited until Nico’s voice repeated;

“Because I..I love you too?” His voice was so quiet, so unlike his usual chattering and Will decided it was his second favourite sound in the world.

Will didn’t say anything, he just looked at Nico, who had this expression on his face like he was waiting for something to smash through the ceiling.

“Because I love you too” He said again, this time as if he was sure about it, and his face broke into one of the biggest smiles Will’s seen in weeks,

“I love you too, I just said that.” Nico laughed breathlessly

“And-and you said you love me and I love you too and I just said that” Will felt as if his chest was about to explode because despite his reservations and his past, he wasn’t scared to say it back.

“You just said that” Will repeated, he couldn’t say how proud he was that Nico felt he could love Will. He’d come so far and Will was so infatuated his eyes were probably doing that star thing that anime characters do. They both did this sort of heavy breathing that could be classed as a giggle and their foreheads ended up back together.

“Hey Solace?”

“Mmhm?”

“Kiss me again?”

So he did.

It started off slow, Nico’s lips moving cautiously, as if still unsure what to do with them. But Will carried on kissing him, their lips finding a rhythm.

Nico’s hand had slackened on his cheek and only his fingers were pressed against his skin now but Will needed to be closer. He needed something substantial. He worked so hard for everyone else, for everyone else’s happiness.

Nico’s constantly cold hands felt so perfect against him.

He wanted this. He wanted this so badly.

He wanted to be kissed and he wanted to be kissed by Nico so his hand snaked up Nico’s torso and into his hair. It was so soft, and he knotted it between his fingers, tightening them when he got to the nape of the other boys neck and tilting his head. Will let out a soft appreciative noise and they broke apart, breathing into each other’s mouths. Nico moved closer. Shuffling on his knees so he was slightly above Will. Both his hands cupped Will’s face and he leaned in again. Will’s arms wrapped around his waist and Nico let out a high winded moan, his fingers running between Will’s face, neck and hair, gripping at the overgrown strands.

Will’s arms were gradually pulling the younger boy closer and his head was spinning. He felt like he was flying and when Nico let out a hushed whimper of _“Will”_ He just lost it. His arms tightened and Nico ended up in his lap. Will’s legs stretched out in front of him, Nico balanced on his thighs. His hands were splayed up the other’s back, his fingers bunching up his t-shirt. One of Nico’s hands was clutching at his hair, both his elbows on Will’s shoulders, but still a voice in Will’s head pleaded with him to get closer. To last forever. To drink him in.

They broke apart again and Will murmured “It looks like you’re stuck with me” against Nico’s lips.

Nico let out a short bark of laughter, his head thrown back before he replied; “You’re still insufferable.” One of his hands came back around to Will’s face and he pressed his thumb into the dimple on Will’s cheek.

“Even if I love you?” Will asked, his own fingers tracing patterns on Nico’s back.

Nico kissed him again, but when he pulled his away, the knot in his eyebrows betrayed his insecurities.

“No, you’re not doing that. You’re not questioning what I said you-you’ve got to believe me that I’m going to be here tomorrow, who ever..whatever is telling you in your head that you don’t deserve this, just don’t listen to it. _Please._ ”

Nico looked at him with an unreadable expression on his face.

“Has anyone ever told you that you care too much about other people?” Will was stunned, he had no idea what that meant. Well he knew what the words meant but not why Nico was saying them.

“Wha-”

“Maybe that was badly phrased, I said I wasn’t good at this” Nico’s thumb traced over Will’s face, pressing the shape of his eyebrows and the spray of freckles, his eyes following it’s progress. He continued;

“You are always worrying about everyone else, like all the time. You act so unfazed by everything, so...positive. You hide behind your smiles. You hide behind your singing and popularity, because you think thats all you are.”

Will’s could feel his face burning, he didn’t know how to react but Nico wasn’t done;

“I’m not saying I would be dead without you well..no thats-I am _not_ saying that but...I probably would have faded away when the others grew bored of me-”

“They won't grow bored of you how many times do I have to tell you this!” Nico’s hand grabbed his cheeks, squishing his mouth.

“I am trying to talk about _you_ for a second, _idiota! Stai zitto_.” Will knew enough Italian that that meant: idiot, shut up. It was one of the boy’s favourite phrase to use on him. Nico let out a snort of air through his nose and his thumb went back to work, now pulling at strands of Will’s fringe;

“I know now that they will not get bored with me. The day Grace thinks he’s had enough of me is the day he shall find a skeleton in an uncomfortable place but-but that’s not the point I was making. I...I know they like me but I’m not at the top of their list. Jason has Piper and Hazel has Frank, and we all know what happens if you try to separate Percy and Annabeth.” Nico’s arms snaked around Will’s neck, his constant moving about made Will concerned about how close they were: Nico wasn’t generally a touchy person.

“See? You are doing it now! You’re worried if I’m uncomfortable or if I want to move away. If I did I would have moved, _capito?_ ” Nico was speaking quite quickly as if he was trying to make his point fast but couldn’t quite word it. When he started speaking fast, his Italian would come through. Will had been noticing the little slips in his normally perfect English. He sounded a bit annoyed, but at himself rather than Will.

“I’m always at the top of your list, you always worry about me first and I was just trying to thank you really, because no one since Bianca would constantly put me first. I wouldn’t be like I am today if you hadn’t yelled at me for not visiting you. I would not have stayed to learn that they don’t hate me. It’s difficult sometimes, but I still know it. Rationally.”

He steeled himself for a moment;

“I’ve spoken for far too long without kissing you because you said I was allowed to do that now. I am determined to make the most of that because I’m not going to let _problemi di autostima di merda_ or-or what ever was wrong with me stop me from enjoying this. So, what do _you_ want to do. Take your own advice. Put yourself first. I just-mhhph”

Will’s lips cut him off.  He couldn’t say how he was feeling because he didn’t really think there were words for it so he just kissed Nico and gripped on to him, clutching anywhere he could find and knowing that he was allowed to.

He broke away from Nico’s mouth, instead burying his face in his neck. Will ran his nose down towards his chest and back up, breathing him in whilst Nico’s breath tickled in his ear and his hand traced the freckles on Will’s arm, making him shiver. Everything felt simultaneously sharp and new, blind scrabbling in the dark; but also warm and home. Will realised that’s what they were really, so different they complimented each other perfectly.

"Go out with me then. Thats what I want to do, I suppose, you asked and I mean-you don't-." Nico cut him off;

"You think I'm going to say no?" Will smiled, it was like there was a balloon in his chest.

It was the best feeling in the world, being so far into someone’s personal space. So close to someone that you breathe the same air, the only noises being the disconnecting of lips and shuffling on a wooden floor.

Will Solace is a Son of the Sun God, so content isn’t difficult for him. However, sitting in the middle of the floor in the Hades Cabin with his best friend, it’s probably the happiest he’s ever been.

“Ti armo”

“That’s not how to say it”

“Shut up”

“ _Make_ me”

El finittoooo

****  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Okay so thank you for reading I guess?? I tried to make it as accurate as possible, but I hope ya enjoyed! Feedback would be great but no pressure :)  
> The bit with Will and Rachel being close I got from this post on tumblr and I just wanted to put it in. Its by imalosthippocampus on tumblr. http://imalosthippocampus.tumblr.com/post/116199435897/oracle-of-delphi-at-her-peak-performance-come. Thank you for your amazing drawing skills


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